


Hands of Time

by lakesandquarries



Category: Half Life VR But The AI Is Self Aware
Genre: Gen, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Inspired by Fanart, description makes it sound bad but they're okay!!! they are best bros, tommy has time manipulation powers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-15
Updated: 2020-11-15
Packaged: 2021-03-09 18:48:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,408
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27571024
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lakesandquarries/pseuds/lakesandquarries
Summary: “You lied to me,” Benrey says.Tommy jumps, and the soda can’s fall speeds up. “H - Benrey! Uh, I didn’t hear you walk over here.”“You lied to me,” Benrey says again, and Tommy’s face goes pale.-Tommy has some interesting powers that he maybe forgot to tell Benrey about. Benrey's not happy.
Relationships: Benrey & Tommy Coolatta
Comments: 23
Kudos: 105





	Hands of Time

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by this art: https://fan-arter.tumblr.com/post/634622364473311232/give-tommy-time-manipulation-powers-most-of
> 
> Thank you for giving me permission to write this! I hope you enjoy it :)

The hall is silent as Tommy lets his hands drop, bullets falling to the floor. “Uh!” he says, voice a sharp squeak. “I! Can explain!”

Benrey doesn’t say anything, leaning against the wall, helmet making a loud  _ thud _ as it hits the cold concrete. 

“How long have you been able to do that??” Gordon asks. He’s grabbing onto his gun-arm again, fingers digging into the skin. “Tommy. What the  _ hell  _ was that?”

Tommy makes a noise like a mouse getting its tail stepped on. “I - I’m not good at it. That’s the first time I’ve ever done it successfully!”

“ _ Successfully? _ ” Gordon repeats, raising an eyebrow. “So you - you  _ have _ done it before, then, right? Is there anything else you can do?” Gordon asks. There’s something in his voice, almost like hope.

“I can’t go backwards. Or forwards. Just - pause.” He wrings his hands together, shaking almost imperceptibly. “I didn’t - It doesn’t usually work -”

Gordon groans, dropping his arm so he can rub at his face. “Am I the only normal human here?”

“You have a gun arm,” Bubby points out.

“Yeah, and whose fault is  _ that? _ ”

Bubby’s eyes narrow. “Hmph,” he says, turning on his heel and leaving the room. 

“Fucking - no, I’m not gonna apologize for that. Okay. Okay! This is - Tommy, do you think you could do that again?”

Tommy’s fingers tap together. “Maybe?”

“Well, uh. Try, I guess. Might be helpful. Let’s...lets just keep going.”

Benrey stays silent, trailing behind the group at a distance.

\---

He waits until it’s sleep time to say anything. They’re in a mostly empty storage room, Coomer and Bubby curled up against some boxes and Gordon digging around trying to find anything useful. Tommy’s by the door, picking up and dropping an empty soda can repeatedly, staring at it intensely.

“You lied to me,” Benrey says.

Tommy jumps, and the soda can’s fall speeds up. “H - Benrey! Uh, I didn’t hear you walk over here.”

“You lied to me,” Benrey says again, and Tommy’s face goes pale.

“I don’t know what you mean.”

“This whole time,” Benrey says, clenching his fists, “this  _ whole fucking time _ , you - you’ve been hiding this. You didn’t - I thought you trusted me.” His voice is flat, even though a part of him wants to scream. 

“I do!” Tommy says, shooting up to his feet. Benrey takes a step back. It’s one thing to argue with Tommy while he’s sitting down, another to argue with him while he stands a full foot taller than Benrey. His lab coat barely even goes past his waist. “I wanted to! But - you know how Black Mesa is, if they found out, I’d just be another ex - another experiment-”

“Worst thing to be, huh? Just another lab rat. Didn’t wanna deal with that. But - you didn’t have that problem when it was  _ me. _ ” He clenches his fists tighter, feeling his nails - claws - dig into his skin. “You could’ve - you could’ve  _ done something _ -”

“I’m not that good yet,” Tommy protests.

“You could’ve at least let me know I wasn’t  _ alone _ -” He takes a step forward, feeling his form distort, teeth growing longer and eyes opening up on his forehead, his cheeks, his neck - “You  _ lied to me _ .”

“Okay, what the  _ hell _ is going on over here?” Gordon asks suddenly, stepping in between the two of them. Benrey freezes, forcing his form back into something more human.

“I-its okay, Mr. Freeman, Benrey’s just upset -”

“There’s never any  _ just _ when it comes to Benrey,” Gordon says, glaring at them. “Look, I don’t know what your problem is, but -”

“This doesn’t involve you,” Benrey says, but it comes out more like a growl.

“It does if you’re threatening people!” He throws up his arms, grabbing his hair with the not-gun one. 

“Stay  _ out of this _ -”

Gordon takes a step forward right as Benrey does, holding his gun-arm out. Benrey shifts his hands back into claws, bracing himself, and then -

He can’t move.

“ _ Stop it! _ ” Tommy yells. Benrey can only look out of the corner of his eye, but he can see Tommy’s hands raised, see the tears streaming down his face. “Stop  _ fighting! _ ”

Gordon makes a strangled noise, eyes darting around wildly. Tommy shuts his eyes, taking deep breaths.

“I - If I let you go you can’t keep fighting, you’re my  _ friends _ , I don’t -” he makes a hiccuping noise, dropping his hands. Benrey nearly crashes to the ground as his limbs return to him. Gordon’s not as lucky - he drops into a heap on the floor. It takes him a moment to get back up, the shuffling noises of the HEV suit scraping against the ground providing cover for Tommy’s sobs.

“Sorry,” Gordon mumbles. “I didn’t - I just wanted to make sure Benrey wasn’t gonna try anything.”

“H-he wouldn’t,” Tommy manages, looking at Benrey. “Right?”

When Benrey freezes this time, it’s his own doing. “No! No, I just -”

“I - I should’ve told you,” Tommy says, wiping his eyes with his sleeve. “I was scared. I was scared that - that someone else would find out, or that you’d be mad, or -”

“I’m only mad you  _ didn’t _ tell me -”

“Benrey,” Tommy says sharply, “what if - what if I’d told you this when we were kids? And I couldn’t control it at  _ all? _ And you were - stuck here, and I wasn’t, and -”

“Not - not in front of  _ him _ ,” Benrey says, nodding his head towards Gordon, still standing there awkwardly. 

“I feel like I’m missing something here,” Gordon mutters, running his hand through his hair. “But, uh, I don’t think it’s any of my business so I’ll go...be over there?” He gestures vaguely to where Bubby and Coomer are sitting. He takes a few slow steps backwards, looking at Tommy expectantly, then sighs when Tommy is silent. “Okay. I’m not going to sleep until - all this is figured out, you know. I -”

“Mr. Freeman, it’s okay. We’re just gonna talk.”

Gordon gives Benrey another suspicious look before turning on his heel and walking briskly over to the others. 

Tommy waits a moment to continue, making sure Gordon isn’t listening in. He’s leaning against a box with Bubby and Coomer, and even at a distance Benrey can see he’s struggling not to fall asleep. 

“I understand why you’re mad,” Tommy says, startling Benrey back into the conversation, “but  _ this _ is why I didn't tell you! I couldn’t - I couldn’t do anything to help, and the only stuff I  _ could  _ do would - would be jeopardized! What happened to you wasn’t fair, but it wouldn’t be any better if it happened to me, too.”

“But I wouldn’t’ve been alone,” Benrey mumbles, pulling their helmet down to cover their face. He sighs. “I’m being stupid. I know. I know, you did everything you could, I just -” His eyes feel wet, and he blinks hard, trying to get the moisture away.

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you,” Tommy says. He takes a step forward, holding his arms out, and Benrey collapses into him.

“‘m sorry for yelling at you.”

Tommy rests his head on their helmet, the weight familiar and soothing. “If - if it helps, that’s the only thing I ever h - ever didn’t tell you. I trust you, Benrey. It was just….”

“Didn’t trust Black Mesa,” they mumble into his shoulder, and he feels Tommy nod. “Yeah. I - yeah.”

“Are we okay?”

“Yeah. Can’t - can’t stay mad at my best bro Tommy.” He holds on for a bit longer before stepping back, dusting himself off. “You should get some sleep. Been - long day.”

“Come sit next to me?” Tommy asks. Benrey nods, letting Tommy take his hand and lead him over the others. Bubby and Coomer are passed out, leaning against each other, Coomer drooling on Bubby’s shoulder. Gross.

Tommy sits down next to Gordon, who, true to his word, is still awake. Just barely, though. He looks like he was on the verge of falling asleep when Tommy and Benrey came over. “Everything good?” Gordon whispers.

“Yeah,” Tommy whispers back. Gordon nods.

“Good. I’m gonna pass out now.” He doesn’t fall asleep instantly, but it’s pretty damn close. Within a couple minutes he’s snoring softly.

Benrey takes off his helmet, leaning his head on Tommy’s shoulder. Tommy returns the favour, leaning his head on top of Benrey’s. 

“Goodnight, Benrey,” he whispers.

“Night,” Benrey mumbles back.

(He wakes up to Tommy drooling on his head, like Dr. Coomer had, but for some reason he doesn’t find it gross this time.)

**Author's Note:**

> Title from "My Time" by Bo En. 
> 
> My tumblr is lakesandquarries! I am friendly and have a lot of thoughts about HLVRAI! Especially Benrey!!! He lives in my head rent free and steals all my chips. Please help.


End file.
